Possessions
by bandura
Summary: You should never fall for something that doesn't belong to you.
1. Relent

**Disclaimer: I do not own any characters from Naruto.**

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Possessions

"Hinata-chan, you look so pretty."

She looked up to see the woman who was tying her hair in a fancy bun. In the past four years, this person had become the closest thing she had to a mother.

Hinata smiled at Mikoto who kept her face in an emotionless mask with quite some difficulty.

"Mom, doesn't Hinata-chan look pretty." She blushed at the compliment she received from the boy sitting across from her.

"Sasuke-kun, please don't disturb me. I have to get her ready." He pouted at his mother but left after winking at the girl.

"Uchiha-san, what are we going to do today?" Hinata asked when Mikoto began applying makeup at the young girl's face.

She was turning thirteen today and she was going to celebrate it, so it was necessary to dress up. She usually despised wearing fancy kimonos since they restricted her from running whenever she tried playing with Sasuke, but today she did not mind. Hinata actually thought she looked really pretty today.

"I really want to race through the maze in the garden with Sasuke-kun again. He promised me a rematch and I'm sure I can beat him this time." Hinata laughed.

"Hinata-chan, please don't move too much."

Hinata sat straight but inwardly frowned at the woman. She was acting weird. Usually she was cheerful and always smiled at Hinata, but today she was quiet, almost sad.

"Uchiha-san what's wrong?" Hinata asked in concern.

"All done." Mikoto said ignoring the girl's question. She quickly got up and turned around to pack the things she had taken out to get Hinata ready. "Hinata-chan...take care." Her voice seemed to quiver as if she was holding back tears. Hinata shook her head thinking that she must have imagined hearing it.

Slowly Hinata got up from her chair and carefully walked out the room. She could not wait to show all her friends her new dress. It was her birthday after all.

Mikoto watched as the girl basically ran out, barely able to contain her excitement. A few silent tears slipped through as she pictured Hinata's smiling face. She could not bear to have that smile taken away, but she did not have the power to do anything. No matter how she was treated, Hinata was a prisoner here whose fate had finally caught up to her.

"Hinata-chan, follow me. I want to show you something." Sasuke grabbed her hand and pulled her behind him. He was running and Hinata could barely keep up, but she did not care. She was too happy to care. The last time she had been this happy was when she was still with her family.

"This is so beautiful." She gazed at the sunset on the horizon across the lake.

These grounds were restricted especially to her, but Sasuke decided to sneak her here for her birthday since she loved the colors of the sunset. "T-thank you, Sasuke-kun." Hinata inched closer and got on her tiptoes. Silently, she kissed him on the cheek and went back down to avoid his gaze shyly. Both of them were blushing, although Sasuke not as much as Hinata.

Grabbing her hand once again, Sasuke smiled at the girl beside him as she looked up at him with a smile of her own.

"It's time," a servant spoke to Mikoto as she stood on the porch, watching her son and the Hyuga prisoner. The girl was a prisoner forced to stay with their family, but Sasuke had never treated her any different.

"Just give her a few more minutes." Mikoto pleaded.

"Mikoto-san, you know he does not like to be kept waiting." The servant bowed and went up to the two children.

Mikoto saw as Hinata followed the servant after waving goodbye to Sasuke.

Hinata was surely confused on why she was being called but still she obeyed because she did not have much choice. Mikoto's heart broke at knowing what the girl was walking towards. Her heart broke even more at the look her son was giving at her retreating form. She could not help let loose all the tears she had been holding back that day. It wasn't fair but she couldn't do anything except to let it happen.

Hinata walked as the servant led her through all the intricate hallways in the new building. She had only been in here twice before. Once to meet the King, and once to meet her family for the last time.

"Hyuga, wait here." The servant left the girl in front of a tall door that was guarded by two soldiers. She waited until the door opened and the servant announced her arrival. Turning around, the servant grabbed onto Hinata's shoulder and guided her into the room.

"Ah Hinata, I'm glad you're finally here." The King sat in one of the chairs from the dining table in his private chamber when she walked in. His smile grew wider as he took in Hinata's dress and makeup. He had been waiting for this day for years. "You may leave us." He waved at the servant who quickly left the panicking girl to stand alone with the King in his bedroom. "Come here Hinata." he commanded in anticipation to claim the prize he had been waiting for since she was given to him at the age of nine. He had to wait four years, but looking at her now, Madara couldn't help but smirk at the thought that it was all worth it.

That night Hinata realized what she was: a prisoner, a possession. She lost her childhood and gave everything up at the command of her owner. She was never meant to be more than that but she wanted to thank Sasuke for making her feel that it could be different when they were younger, if only for a little while.

Years later, Sasuke still scowled at his nativity to think that everyone was equal. It was obvious that Hinata was a prisoner and her purpose was decided before he even met her. She did not have the privilege like the others did. She was an object, someone's possession without any rights, and he was the naive fool to fall for her only to have his heart broken. It didn't help that Sasuke was reminded of how foolish he was every time he caught a glimpse of her moving around in King's Tower. She was the king's possession. She was always meant to be.

Now Sasuke would never make the same mistake twice. He would never let his heart open to someone who was supposed to be beneath him because now he knew that they were just possessions owned by another man.


	2. Resolve

**Thank you to all those who commented, and followed and/or favorited this story.**

 **It was just an idea at first and I didn't know if it was good enough to continue, but after posting it I was motivated.**

 **I'll change the status and probably the rating of the story just in case. I'm sorry if someone is not happy with the changes.**

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Possessions

Sasuke walked through the king's castle trying to find the library for a book he needed for his new mission. He had been assigned to travel to a village he knew nothing about. It was a few days worth of journey so he decided he would learn more about the place while he traveled.

"She's missing again." Sasuke paused in his step as he heard some of the maids panicking in the hallway around the corner. They couldn't see him yet so he was about to announce his presence and see what was going on, until their next words froze him.

"The Hyuga is missing again. This is her third time this month!" The servant let out a frustrated sigh.

"The King is going to be furious if he finds out."

"Did you check the roof?"

"No, they locked it because of what happened last time, remember?"

"But she still might find a way to get in." Sasuke stood still as he heard there footsteps fade in the direction of what he presumed was the roof.

He was surprised to hear what they said because he knew exactly who they were talking about.

Hinata...he hadn't seen her in over two years. The last time he saw her, he had just turned eighteen and joined the King's army. He was heading back home from training in the night but before he could leave the castle's grounds, he caught a glimpse of her standing by her window. She was staring outside at nothing in particular with such a vacant expression that Sasuke had not recognize her.

Slowly he realized his feet were taking him in the same direction he had heard the servants go. He didn't know why he went but by the panic in their voices he knew it was something serious.

He saw the two servant girls walking down the stairs as they were coming back from the balcony.

"If it's locked then she couldn't have gotten in. But where could she be?"

Sasuke went up the stairs after the two had gone. He looked at the heavy lock bolted on the wooden door that led to a small roof on this side of the castle. Why would they lock it from her?

He took out a small pocket-sized machine and a pin to try and unlock the door. It had seemed stupid to buy something like this for someone who did not like to snoop around, especially when his blond idiot of a friend, Naruto, pushed him to, but now more than ever he was grateful to have this with him. After a few seconds the lock opened with a click. Slowly he pushed the door open and walked out. Looking around he couldn't find anything out of the ordinary until his eyes fell on a body standing close to the edge.

He knew it was her even though her back was towards him. She was dressed in nothing but a white silk gown that kept flitting around her legs at the ends because of the wind.

Carefully, Sasuke approached her so as not to make a sound, but suddenly she was climbing on the ledge of the balcony trying to stand on it. Sasuke knew instantly what she was trying to do and started running towards her. Before she could take her foot off the ledge Sasuke grabbed her gown and roughly yanked her back. She fell backwards towards the roof and into Sasuke. He caught her body in his arms but in the process lost his own balance causing him to fall. Soon he was lying on the floor with a body on top of him that he still held tightly even after she was away from the ledge.

"A-ah! I-I'm sorry!" She rushed to get up but froze when she saw who the man was that was lying underneath her on the floor. "S-sas-"

"What the hell do you think you were doing?" He nearly barked at her. Shoving her off of him, he stood up and dusted his uniform before glaring at the girl sitting on the floor.

"What were you doing?" He yelled louder in anger. He couldn't understand why he was angry but it could not be contained.

"I-I-"

"Were you trying to kill yourself!" He held onto her wrist and pulled her up. "Tell me!" He demanded and for a second Hinata saw a flash of red pass through his eyes.

"I-I'm sor-"

"Stop!" He yelled as his grip on her wrist tightened.

Hinata gasped and flinched her wrist at the pain that shot through her arm.

Sasuke growled and was about to shove her arm out of his hand until something caught his eye.

He had never seen her this close since her thirteenth birthday. She was always dressed up in nice clothes with fine jewelry and makeup, but right now she had nothing on of the sort. Her wrists were bare from anything which was why Sasuke was able to see the scars on there. Scars the size of his fingers decorated across her wrists multiple times. Some even had signs of being stitched back together when the cut had probably been too deep.

"Hyuga!" one of the servants yelled.

Hinata jerked her hand away from his now loose grip at the sound of her name. It was coming from inside. Quickly, she went around Sasuke who was still rooted in his spot and ran back inside, but not before sparing a glance at him. His eyes were wide as he stared at his hand that only a few seconds ago had held her wrist filled with scars that were now imprinted in his mind.

Sasuke didn't know how long he was standing there but time seemed to have stopped for him when he saw Hinata's scars. Some looked fresh and some looked old, while there were a couple that were too deep for her to have survived easily. Did she do that to herself?

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It was easy to mend a broken body, but how could someone mend a broken soul?

It was easy to bear a physical wound since it could either heal or kill you. What could you do for a wound in your heart that was as painful as losing a limb, yet you were still alive.

Standing in front of her vanity in her bedroom, Hinata stared at her reflection. For the first time, she actually focused on herself to see what she had truly become.

All those years ago when she finally learned of her place in this castle, something in Hinata changed. It was like a wound was inflicted not just on her body but also her soul that had healed into an ugly scar. One that caused her enough shame to avert her eyes from her own reflection. But today she swallowed any apprehension and dared her eyes on the silhouette reflected back to her. Slowly her eyes roamed over every inch of her naked body taking in all the differences until she finally saw her face.

Her legs had gotten longer than what they used to be, yet her pale complexion never changed. Her hips were wider, perfect to bare children, although they would only be bastards and second-class people in this place just like her.

Her stomach was flat and her waist thin to keep her in shape, but not for long. Her shoulders looked delicate but strong enough to hold the weight of this life she had to live. Her arms were thin and smooth, except for the rough patches around her wrists that implied the fight she had put up since the beginning. However, she had lost every attempt, and now she was rewarded with the scars that had to be kept hidden with expensive jewelry and makeup on her wrists.

After surveying her entire body, Hinata looked up to see the face of a woman she could not recognize anymore. She looked familiar but her eyes were the most different than before. Who was this person? When had she become so ugly?

"Hyuga, stop staring at yourself." Hinata had not heard the servant come in. She was too engrossed in the disgusting image in front of her. "Trust me, it won't help."

Hinata nodded and went to cover herself with a gown. No matter how ugly she felt, she was not shy around the female servants around the castle, after all they had already seen her at her worst.

"No matter, you need to keep yourself healthy. It's not just your own life that you have to look after now. You can't be reckless like that again." She brought up one of Hinata's wrists as if to make her point. _How can she think that it was just a reckless act?_ It didn't matter what any of them thought anyway because at the end of the day no one would dare to help her even if they wanted to. She was the King's most prized possession, and it would be death onto those who even dared to take that away from him. Unfortunately, Hinata didn't have the same punishment if she attempted to take herself away from him.

She looked at the wrist in the servant's hand one more time before steeling her resolve. She could not let anyone see what had become of her heart and how broken it felt. She would never give him the satisfaction to think that she had relented to this fate, not even once. And now she a had cause to fight back even more, except that her option for suicide was no longer feasible. She had to find a way to get out of here. If only she could gain an ally willing enough to go against the King and help her escape.


	3. Obsession

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Possessions

The next couple of days as Sasuke traveled on his journey with his team, he forgot any notion about reading the book he had gotten from the library. Instead his mind kept focusing on Hinata. The state he found her in that day on the balcony had shaken him to the core. She was about to jump off the balcony yet the only thing she could think of to say was 'I'm sorry.' And then there were those scars on her wrists. That could not be normal. She could not do those to herself. Could she?

Sasuke heaved a sigh as his chest felt too heavy all of a sudden. How long had Hinata been trying to kill herself? His eyes stung at the thought of her ending her own life. He wasn't a fool. He knew very well what her predicament was and what kind of life she lived, but never did he realize how much it must have affected Hinata to be treated as an object like that.

Sasuke smirked darkly at the fact that once again he was making the mistake to feel something for her when she belonged to someone else. But this time should he just stay back and let everything happen to her? Could he, now that he knew what she was feeling?

"Hey, bastard. What's gotten your panties in a bunch?" Naruto asked as he noticed his childhood friend and teammate's melancholy demeanor. After joining the king's army, there was never a time that they were not placed together on a mission, especially when their Team 7 was always well praised for their abilities.

Sasuke glared at the blonde but did not respond. He did not know how but the man somehow always knew when something was wrong, but that did not mean he was going to let him know anything about it, at least not yet.

"Naruto, stop bothering Sasuke-kun. We still have a long way to go and I don't think anyone wants to watch you two fight again," Sakura sighed from her perch on her horse. She had been with these two as long as Team 7 had existed and by now she was fairly familiar with her male teammates' tendencies to annoy and fight one another.

The mission went as planned without any issues, and after arriving back to Konoha, Sasuke walked through the Uchiha District late at night to get to his home. Even though it was the middle of the night, he knew his mother would be waiting for him to get home safely. She always stayed up for her youngest son whenever he was supposed to arrive from a mission. Who could blame her for worrying since she had no one left but Sasuke. He guessed it had started after Itachi disappeared on a mission. Many presumed that he was already dead but Sasuke refused to believe anything if a body was never found, even if it had been five years now.

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From the beginning, Madara always knew what he wanted. He was the first-born, heir to the throne, yet he could not wait patiently to be king.

At a young age Madara was one of the most revered Uchiha's. It was not just his strength and power that made him famous. It was his ideas that brought a rise through many of the Uchihas. He was always hesitant to voice his opinions at first, but it was not until he surpassed his teen years and was into adulthood that his maturity allowed him to see logic through his impulses. Some had criticized him and called his ideas too revolutionary, but in the end him and his supporters had won.

His father, the King at the time, was too soft and lenient in his opinion. Madara saw that at numerous occasions, his father would bend to the will of the people they ruled over. He would concede his power to keep the people happy and the nobles satisfied just to hold on to a fragile peace they so often threatened. The last straw had been his father pardoning his brother's murderer.

The Senju clan had always been fighting the Uchiha over land and power, and in one of these fights Madara's younger brother had been killed by a Senju from the main family. But instead of getting justice and avenging his son's death, his father talked with the other clan, and settled on an agreement just so the bloodshed could stop. This was when Madara realized how unfit his father was to rule.

Madara knew that they were compromising too much just to hold on to some ideal facade, so in the end he gathered his support and started a rebellion, overthrowing his father and starting a new era, one where he would expand his reach. Afraid of his power, many of the noble families relented and joined his new kingdom, while some fought against his tyrannical rule for years. One of these had been the Hyuga clan.

The Hyuga had always been loyal to the Senju clan and so their downfall was inevitable, but something changed that allowed him to a show a moment of benevolence to such a traitorous clan. He had not planned to let the clan survive. He was going to end anyone who went against him. Yet, his tough resolve changed in a mere insignificant moment when he saw her. Madara knew it was morally wrong to desire for such a young girl, but it was something about her that reminded him of a dream he always wished for, her innocence, and the naive ability to look for only the good in someone. She was his wish, and even though he was more than twice her age, he wanted nothing more than to have her, to absolutely and completely possess her.

In the light of their impeding demise, the Hyuga clan made a decision to save itself from extinction. They noticed the king's interest and offered something they knew the he could not refuse in hopes that he would accept it as a peace offering. They offered their clan heiress signifying the acceptance of their defeat, leaving the clan as just a shell of its past, but nonetheless surviving in deprivation.

Now, in the middle of the night, as he walked through the dimly lit hallways, Madara could not help but feel pleased at how things turned out. Making his way to the one place he often spent his nights at, he smirked at the thought of what was awaiting him. He had a wife who was nothing more than a political incentive placed by him to only give legitimate heirs, but his heart could never belonged to her. He could never feel something for any woman except for one, and she was his most prized possession. He obviously could not let the Hyuga heir become the queen of the kingdom, or else he would have married her along time ago. So instead he kept her as his possession.

Opening the door to Hinata's room, he did not wait to be let in. He owned her. He needed no permission. And tonight, just like many other nights, he would claim her in whatever way that pleased him. He did not know what it was about her but just being in her presence always made his head filled with thoughts that were so unfamiliar and unstable. One could even think, if they dared, that he was obsessed with her, yet there was no one that could stop him, certainly not the weak Hyuga girl. Yet, the same weak Hyuga girl was able to control him in a way he could not imagine.

Walking into the room, Madara was greeted by one of the maids he had assigned specifically to Hinata. Behind her stood the castle's physician who looked like he had been woken up from his sleep to attend to Hinata while she slept in her bed.

"What's going on?" the king asked, taking special care to hide any worry from his voice.

"Uchiha-sama, the Hyuga had another fainting spell today and her heartbeat has been irregular since then." Madara frowned at what the maid told him. Since finding out about her pregnancy, this had been the fifth time she had become unconscious and her heart had gone unstable without any reason.

"Uchiha-sama, the girl's health continues to worsen. It seems her condition continues to weaken her heart." The doctor spoke after he was done checking up on the sleeping girl.

"Can't you do something?" Madara glared at the physician. He had known about Hinata's heart and her childhood condition, but it was never something significant, until now.

"I-I can only do so much. I'm not specialized in treating conditions of the heart as hers, especially when combined with her pregnancy."

"Is there no one here that can treat her?" He was almost on the verge of yelling. He had to find someone to keep his Hinata, and his child, safe.

"Well…" the physician spoke but stopped in fear of what the king might do

"What?" Madara snapped.

"If I may," he began again hesitantly, "I would suggest she see an expert I've heard about…"

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Mikoto stood in the doorway to her son's room, hesitant to make any noise. He had returned from his mission last night and now he was asleep in his bed even though it was past noon. Her son was always up with the sun, trying to make the most of the day with training and working, but it was nice seeing him take a day off and just rest once in a while. He had been flocked with missions back-to-back for the past few weeks. There was obviously something important going on since most of the Shinobi had been assigned missions lately, but Mikoto did not care much for it, as long as her son came back home safely, that was her only concern.

Mikoto was about to leave so she could let Sasuke sleep for a little longer before something caught her eye halting her in her retreat. It was something shiny that had caught the sun's light at an angle and made it shine only for a second. As quietly as possible, she approached his bed to find something in Sasuke's hand. Even in his deep slumber he clutched the object in his right palm. It would have just looked like any other necklace to someone, but Mikoto knew that one all too well. It was Itachi's that he would wear whenever he went on missions. It was like a good luck charm, and the last time Itachi did not wear it, he never returned from his mission.

 _Knock knock knock_

Abruptly, both raven-haired individuals jerked their heads at the sound of someone knocking on the door. Sasuke eyed his mother in confusion before slowly blinking away the sleepy daze from his mind.

"I'll get it," Mikoto smiled at Sasuke before rushing to open the door.

Outside stood a messenger she was acquainted with more often than she would like. There was a new mission for Sasuke.

"You can't give him a mission. He just got-" Mikoto tried to argue but was cut off by Sasuke as he placed his hand on her shoulder.

"What is it?" he asked the man at the front door.

"Show up at the castle in two hours to get the details for your new mission." And without another word, the messenger was gone.

Sasuke sighed as he thought about what this new mission could be if they had to call him right after he finished another one.

"You can't go. You just got back and you haven't been able to get proper rest-" Mikoto pleaded with Sasuke but was cut off.

"I'll be fine." He tried to assuage his mother's worry with a small smile, hoping she would not be sad at his sudden departure.

At the same time, on the other side of Konoha, Hinata was packing her clothes for her journey to meet the medical expert the castle's physician had spoken about, all the while thanking whatever god she could think of for a chance to get out of the castle and the vilage. Now all she needed was a plan to ditch the caravan and the guards that would be accompanying her. This was her only chance yet she was too naïve to think it would be that simple.


End file.
